Making the switch from Windows: Now what?

After decades of being a loyal windows user, I am finally buying my first iMac and my questions are many. Particularly, what programs would you recommend for cd/dvd burning, as well as virus and malware protection? Doses the Microsoft office suite have a Mac version?

Also, I plan on using external storage in conjunction with an internal ssd. My question here is, if I keep all of my upwards of 50GB of music on the external drive, what happens when I go to fill my iTunes library? Does iTunes just pull over the file path from the external drive or does it create another copy of the actual file on the ssd? As you can see, I’m very storage cautious. I can only rationalize going with the 512gb ssd. 1tb is too costly, and the fusions are a joke.

You should be able to burn CD/DVDs with iTunes, plus some of the Windows programs you know and love have Mac versions. YES Office has a Mac version. Yes iTunes SHOULD pull them in automatically. I believe it leaves them mostly on the external drive.